The boy was arrested at 5:10 p.m. at the Valley Springs substation. More than 2,000 hours were put into the investigation, Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz said.

"The citizens of Calaveras County can sleep a little better tonight," Kuntz said.

Eight-year-old Leila was fatally stabbed in home home April 27. The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office reported the girl was found by her 12-year-old brother in the family's Rippon Road home. The brother told investigators he saw an intruder fleeing from the home, and described his sister's killer as being tall with long gray hair, but officials say a witness who said she also saw the man flee has since recanted and is no longer credible.

Investigators said earlier this week they believed they were getting closer to cracking the case.

Hewitt said DNA testing had yielded "a positive result," although the agency has not yet disclosed details of the results.

Extensive crime scene evidence from the Fowler home has been collected, including fingerprints and DNA.

Read Sunday's Record for more on this story by staff writer Jason Anderson.